Kohring to report to California

Federal public defender Rich Curtner said Monday he will be handling Kohring's appeal and also may request that Kohring serve his time in Sheridan Correctional Institution in Oregon. That's closer to Kohring's family. His parents live in Wasilla and his wife and stepdaughter live near Portland. His wife has filed for divorce, though.

Kohring's previous attorney, John Henry Browne, told reporters right after Kohring's sentencing last month that Kohring would serve his time in Sheridan. But Kohring recently was directed to report to Taft Correctional Institution in California. It's run by a private firm, Management & Training Corp.

"I don't know what happened here," Curtner said.

Kohring has complained to news reporters that he is being treated unfairly. He has accused U.S. District Judge John Sedwick of bias stemming from disagreements Kohring had as a legislator with Sedwick's wife, Deborah, then a state commissioner.

However, Sedwick didn't make a recommendation as to where Kohring should serve his time, according to the judgment filed in court.

The federal Bureau of Prisons assigns inmates to facilities.

"We consider a lot of variables," said Traci Billingsley, a bureau spokeswoman. "First and foremost, we try to match an inmate with the security needs."

The agency doesn't discuss decisions related to specific inmates but generally considers an inmate's length of sentence, criminal history, risk of violence and any recommendation from the judge, among other factors, she said.

Kohring was convicted of accepting bribes from Veco executives in exchange for pushing a version of an oil tax favored by North Slope producers.

Taft is a low-security prison with a minimum-security annex, which prison officials call a "camp," Billingsley said. Sheridan is medium-security with a minimum-security camp.

Pete Kott and Tom Anderson, two former legislators convicted and serving time in the ongoing corruption investigation, are in Sheridan, but both got longer sentences than Kohring.

Bill Bobrick, a former lobbyist who pleaded guilty to conspiring with Anderson, is nearly finished serving his five-month prison sentence in Taft.

Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.